Month: March 2019

Picky eaters: Bumble bees prefer plants with nutrient-rich pollen

March 29, 2019

Bumble bees have discriminating palettes when it comes to their pollen meals, according to researchers at Penn State. The researchers found that bumble bees can detect the nutritional quality of pollen, and that this ability helps them selectively forage among plant species to optimize their diets. “Populations of many bee species are in decline across … More Picky eaters: Bumble bees prefer plants with nutrient-rich pollen

Pollination

March 25, 2019

Ungroomed sites correspond with flower pollen-sacs and stigmas After grooming, bees still have pollen on body parts that match the position of flower pollen-sacs and stigmas, according to a study published September 6, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Petra Wester from Heinrich-Heine-University, Germany, and colleagues. Flowers depend on pollen for pollination, and flower-visiting bees … More Pollination

Bee diversity and richness decline as anthropogenic activity increases, scientists confirm

March 24, 2019

Changes in land use negatively affect bee species richness and diversity, and cause major shifts in species composition, reports a recent study of native wild bees, conducted at the Sierra de Quila Flora and Fauna Protection Area and its influence zone in Mexico. Having registered a total of 14,054 individual bees representing 160 species, 52 … More Bee diversity and richness decline as anthropogenic activity increases, scientists confirm

Think about bees, say researchers, as Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument Shrinks

March 17, 2019

Monument’s original boundaries are a hotspot of pollinator biodiversity. The state of Utah’s nickname is “The Beehive State,” and the moniker couldn’t be more apt, say Utah State University scientists. One out of every four bee species in the United States is found In Utah and the arid, western state is home to more bee … More Think about bees, say researchers, as Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument Shrinks

Harnessing the Power of Vaccines to Benefit Bees

March 9, 2019

Vaccines are one of humanity’s greatest medical breakthroughs—ridding the world of smallpox, limiting outbreaks of mumps and measles and putting polio on the ropes. Now, reports Bill Chapell at NPR, researchers are hoping to harness the power of vaccines for the first time to help honeybees, which are currently being bombarded by a long list of threats. … More Harnessing the Power of Vaccines to Benefit Bees